Ferguson protesters begin long march to state capital

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FERGUSON, Mo. — Demonstrators are marching from Ferguson to the Missouri governor's mansion in Jefferson City to protest the grand jury decision not to indict Officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown.

Several people gathered in Ferguson on Saturday at the site where Brown was killed. The 120-mile march to Jefferson City will take seven days and was organized by the NAACP.

North Carolina NAACP President Reverend William Barber is one of the thousands participating in the march.

"The people are crying, but they are not giving up," Barber said. "They are saying we can't just go back. We have to deal with the reality of racial profiling."

Dr. Barber said that the group is calling for specific change.

"They want cameras on every officer," he said. "The body cameras. They want the federal law to come in and do a federal investigation. They want standards for police departments. They want to see real review boards in every county and every city."

Barber said he spoke with several people who grew up in Ferguson and while they are thankful for the attention to Brown's death, they feel Ferguson should have been in the spotlight long ago.

"They are saying there are things that we don't know that go on when the cameras leave. In fact, that is one of the things that troubles a lot of them," he said.

Organizers say the purpose is to call for new leadership in the Ferguson police department and for police reforms in the St. Louis suburb and throughout the U.S.

Each evening along the route, marchers will participate in what they call "teach-ins" and rallies. Organizers say people are welcome to join in as they please.